North Carolina’s mountain region is an outdoor playground, a natural wonderland, and a historical treasure. In fact, there are so many things to see and do here that it might be hard to decide which to conquer first.
Visit NC has compiled a list of twenty places that you have to go before you can say you’ve completely experienced the NC mountains.
Take a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway - It is America’s Favorite Drive, and after a few miles it’s easy to see why. The
Blue Ridge Parkway has spectacular scenery, year-round color, and hundreds of hikes, overlooks, and charming just-off-the-road towns to explore. Whether you go for an hour or for the weekend, NC’s 250 miles of this national treasure are hard to beat.
Drink a toast to the day at a
Yadkin Valley Winery. One of the hot new wine regions in the United States is right here in North Carolina’s Yadkin Valley. With a perfect grape-growing climate and some spectacular scenery, a handful of visionary viticulturalists have transformed rolling farmland into a wine-tasting wonderland. Find a wine you love and enjoy a glass on a vineyard patio as you look out onto rows of stately grapevines.
Picnic by a waterfall in Transylvania County. There are no vampires in North Carolina’s
Transylvania, just waterfall after beautiful waterfall. Millions of years of erosion and 80 annual inches of rainfall has blessed this scenic corner of the state with more than 200 large waterfalls, including Whitewater Falls and its amazing 400-foot drop. While you’re there, have some fun: You can drive under Bridal Veil Falls, walk under Dry Falls, and slide down Sliding Rock.
Shop in the Mast General Store, Valle Crucis. Step into the
Mast General Store and you step back in time to an era when the local merchant supplied all of a community’s needs, ‘from cradles to caskets’. First opened in Valle Crucis back in 1883, the store still stocks a little of everything and a lot of merchandise that you’ll never find in a mall. The business has grown to include several locations, but if you want the real deal, visit the original in Valle Crucis.
Bask in the opulence of Biltmore, Asheville. George Washington Vanderbilt fell in love with Western North Carolina after his first visit there, and by Christmas Eve 1895, he was welcoming guests to his brand new estate in Asheville.
The Biltmore was (and still is) the largest private residence in the world, with 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, and more priceless works of art than anyone can count. Biltmore is also home to spectacular gardens, wonderful outdoor opportunities, and America’s most visited winery.
Feel the spirit at the Churches of the Frescoes, Ashe County. These aren’t your grandfather’s stained glass windows. In these two
tiny churches in the small mountain towns of Glendale Springs (Holy Trinity Episcopal Church) and West Jefferson (St. Mary’s Episcopal Church) there are a trio of Ben Long frescoes that are both inspiring and breathtaking. The artwork, painted between 1974 and 1980, has brought these little parishes international acclaim and about 60,000 visitors each year.
Witness history as art in Unto These Hills, Cherokee. North Carolina is home to nearly 100,000 Indians, the largest Native American population east of the Mississippi River. Of the dozen tribes that call NC home, certainly the
Cherokee is the most familiar. The Cherokee story, from the arrival of the Spanish in 1540 to the tragic Trail of Tears in the early 19th Century, is the subject of Unto These Hills, one of the country’s oldest and most popular outdoor dramas. It’s been staged at the Mountain Theatre since 1950 and has entertained more than five million visitors. In 2009, the production will open its 60th season on June 9.
Get into the groove at Merlefest, Wilkesboro. It all began with a gardener who wanted to raise funds for gardens on the campus of a rural NC Community College and musicians who wanted to honor the memory of local blues guitarist Merle Watson. It grew to an internationally renowned music festival and fundraiser that contributes more than $17 million to the region. It's
MerleFest, and if you like bluegrass, blues, and folk music, you need to be here on the last weekend of April. Regional musicians are the backbone of this festival, but legendary musicians such as Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris and the Indigo Girls have also graced its stages throughout the years.
Melt your cares away at Hot Springs. Up in the mountains northwest of Asheville, nearly to the Tennessee state line, is a place where waters bubble up from the ground at more than 100 degrees. Folks here have harnessed North Carolina’s only natural hot springs into hot tubs overlooking the French Broad River and Spring Creek, where visitors can soak their cares away… and soak in the beautiful view. In addition, the Appalachian Trail runs right through downtown
Hot Springs, so day hikers (or through hikers) can get a workout on the trail and then melt away the soreness in the healing waters of Hot Springs.
Wander through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This is America’s most popular
National Park, and it’s no surprise: from spring wildflowers to fall foliage to cascading streams, this is truly one of the most amazing places on Earth. The park was established in 1934, and at 520,000 acres (about 800 square miles) it’s one of the largest protected areas east of the Rockies. Recommended stops include Clingman’s Dome, Fontana Dam, Newfound Gap, and the beautiful drive through Cades Cove. The park is open daily, and unlike many other national park, admission is free – the Rockefellers insisted on this after they donated $5 million for the park’s creation.
Choose and Cut an NC Christmas Tree. Want to bring back the feeling of an old-timey holiday? There’s no better way to do it than to head up to a North Carolina
Christmas tree farm to pick out the family tannenbaum. NC has more than sixty choose and cut tree farms in the mountains, and some enhance the experience by adding hayrides, bonfires, and visits from Santa. When you get home, the evergreen aroma will fill the house, and your fresh cut tree will stay full and green throughout the holiday season.
Stop and smell the rhododendron, Roan Mountain. At the peak of rhododendron season (usually around mid-June), pink rhododendron blossoms cover 600 acres of
Roan Mountain at an elevation of 6,285 feet, which is likely the largest and highest natural flower garden you’ll ever see. If you can’t get to Roan, then get to Craggy Gardens on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville. Rhododenron shrubs are common, but the view of an entire mountainside covered in pink blossoms is not.
Learn a craft at Penland. The arts and crafts that symbolize North Carolina have many homes, but in the mountains in particular, people seem to have a way of creating beautiful and functional things with their hands.
Penland, just north of Spruce Pine, celebrates those skills by hosting some of the world’s most talented artists. This school is the oldest and largest of its kind in the country, and students come from all over the world to learn from the masters of Appalachian weaving, pottery, glass blowing, woodworking, music, and more. Some studios are open to the public, and there are exhibits year-round.
Take a hike in Mount Mitchell State Park.
Mount Mitchell has wowed outdoor enthusiasts since 1916, when it became North Carolina’s first state park. At 6,684 feet, it’s the highest point east of the Rockies, and the summit tower offers panoramic views of six peaks more than 6,000 feet high. Take a jacket, though, Mount Mitchell’s annual snowfall exceeds 100 inches, and measurable snowfall has fallen in all twelve months of the year. The park provides a haven for many rare species, but it’s the scenery that keeps people coming back.
Enjoy a breakfast feast at the Shatley Springs Inn, Crumpler. When you’re ready for a real, hearty, country breakfast, look no farther than this NC Highway 16 landmark about 35 miles northeast of Boone, which has been serving it up “old school” since the 1920s. The menu at
Shatley Springs Inn is almost unending: eggs, bacon, country ham, sausage, tenderloin, grits, potatoes, baked apples, cereal, strawberry preserves, gravy, juice, coffee, and mouth –watering biscuits to die for. Grab a plate – you’re guaranteed to leave full and happy.
Climb Chimney Rock. Don’t worry. By ‘climb’, we don’t mean you’ll need ropes and crampons. In fact, there are two ways to get to the spectacular views from the
Chimney – you can either climb up the 400+ stairs from the parking lot, or ride the elevator up a 26-story shaft blasted through solid granite. Either way, bring a camera. From the top, you’ll be able to see Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure, and on a clear day you’ll see all the way to Kings Mountain – some 75 miles to the east! The park offers many other hiking, climbing and sightseeing opportunities on its many acres.
Enjoy the warmth of the Grove Park Inn fireplace, Asheville. Edwin W. Grove didn’t want to keep the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains all to himself, so he built a hotel to share the experience with others. Grove broke ground in July 1912, and when the mule teams and workers had finished toting the last of the massive granite blocks up the mountain, it was hailed as one of the finest resort hotels in the world. The
Grove Park Inn is one of NC’s most famous landmarks, and if you want to spend some time in a place that evokes a bygone hospitality, then make the drive to Asheville.
Slip slide away at Hawksnest, Seven Devils. Everyone knows that North Carolina has some great Southern skiing, but did you know that the state is also home to the largest snow tubing area on the East Coast?
Hawksnest is a former ski resort now totally dedicated to snow tubing, with 20 lighted runs and daily snowmaking in the winter. A perfect place to have some winter fun with the kids or those whose skiing and snowboarding skills are not quite ready to hit the slopes.
Cross the swinging bridge at Grandfather Mountain. Rising 4,000 feet above the Catawba River Valley,
Grandfather Mountain is a great place to get a bird’s eye view, and a protected habitat for 42 rare species. Privately owned by the Morton family for more than 120 years, the state purchased much of the property in 2008 and officially turned it into a State Park in 2009. You can hike, bird watch, take in the scenery, and stroll across the famous “Mile High Swinging Bridge.” Bring a sweater, though… the average temperature here is only 45 degrees, and the winds are legendary.
Feel poetic at the Carl Sandburg Home, Flat Rock. Most people know that Carl Sandburg was one of this country’s most beloved poets and biographers. But few know that this literary great, remembered for giving a voice to the downtrodden, moved to Flat Rock in 1945 and spent 22 years quietly pursuing his craft in a farmhouse that he called Connemara. All told, one-third of his published works sprang from these mountains. Today, the site is managed as a National Historic Site by the National Park Service. You can also tour the grounds, which are maintained as a living farm. The
Sandburg Home is open year-round except for Christmas Day.
